We get to spend another day in Egypt! We are off to Sharm El Sheikh.
Sharm El Sheikh is located on the tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina, Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. It's strategic importance led to its transformation from a small fishing village into a major port and naval base fro the Egyptian Navy. It was captured by Israel during the Sinai conflict of 1956 and restored to Egypt in 1957. A United Nations peacekeeping force was subsequently stationed there until the 1967 Six Day War when it was recaptured by Israel and officailly renamed Mifratz Shlomo, Hebrew for " Gulf of Solomon", but the name Sharm el Sheikh stayed in use. Sharm el Sheikh remained under Israeli control until the Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1982. A hierarchical planning approach was adopted for the Gulf of Aqaba, whereby their components were evaluated and subdivided into zones, cities and centres. The tourism industry in Sharm El Sheikh is considered the core of development, which offers an exclusive world of luxury and elegance. A fantasy world of space and style is there, comprising glamourous resorts, exclusive sports facilities, unparalleled food courts and shopping centers. The land plan shows that the total area of Sharm el Sheikh is expected to be about 16 square miles by the year 2017.
In order to see St. Catherine's Monastery and Mt. Sinai, we had to disembark from the boat and take an overland. We decided to do this because the boat is only in port for a couple of hours and we would not have enough time to be able to see all that you can at the Sharm El Sheikh port. We were actually tendered at the port, and since we were disembarking, Egyptian authorities had to scan our passports prior to us leaving. Luckily Crystal, the guest relations officer, whisked us through the ship, through secret passageways in order to board the first tender! We meet our driver and a tourism police officer and we headed for the Sinai desert.
The scenery was just amazing as we drove, dessert, giant rocks, barren landscape, but we were in Egypt so it was fascinating. We made our way through a number of police stations and military check points throughout the desert. It took about 2 hours to reach St. Catherine's and it was only open from
10am to 12 noon on Good Friday!
The Monastery lies between St. Catherine's Mount and Mt. Sinai. It is the oldest working Christian monastery in the world and of Orthodox Greek. origin. We were among a handful of people that were there, so it was especially great to be here today.
Within the Monastery's walls lies a 6th Century church. The Church was amazing. The one thing that I admired the most was the numerous lanterns hanging from the ceiling. There was also St.
Catherine's finger bone in a box!!
The skeleton room:
Outside of the church was the site of the Burning Bush.
There was also the well where Moses met the sheep girl that he eventually married!
We walked up on Mount Sinai, where we passed a number of camels and Bedouin camps. The path
was very rocky and thankfully there was a cool breeze as we walked up the hillside of Mt. Sinai.
After that, we headed to Dahab, the Flower Power City, on the Red Sea. There we ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beautiful bay and beach. We had these fresh fruit smoothies that were delicious and a really good pizza. The water was crystal clear and the views amazing. We then spent some time walking along the beach front and looking in the local stores. Unfortunately a store owner really didn't want to be bothered with us and therefore we left! Too bad our police escort wasn't there then.
As we drove back to Sharm, to the Reniassance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort, we could see, grand hotel after grand hotel, surrounding the gorgeous beaches and some camels in a pickup truck!! Our hotel was lovely and had an exceptional pool and view.
Tonight, we left the city of Sharm to live as the Bedouins do on a guided camel ride through a nearby part of the desert at sunset!
What a fun experience! The camel ride was great! It is so interesting to be on the camel when they go from sitting to standing! We were able to discover the stark beauty of the desert from hight atop a camel. The camel is the traditional means of desert transportation across the beautiful sand dunes of the Sinai desert.
Then it was time to live like the Bedouin's. The Bedouins' ancestors came from the Arabian Peninsula so their laws, customs and religion blend Islamic and pagan beliefs. Their lifestyle is one of isolation, a harsh climate and the need to keep moving in search of water. Even today, the wealth of a Bedouin is measured in camels and children. We joined the Bedouins and they took us into a tented area, where we sat on cushions along with several other people and drank their Bedouin tea, Habak! Then, we had a real Bedouin dinner with the full moon rising over the mountains. The scenery was terrific and then there was entertainment as we sat and drank our tea.
There was a belly dancer and a male dancer who spun continuously for over 20 minutes and changed costumes and props in the process.
When we were back at the hotel, we stopped at a store and the one store owner decided to dress me up!
